May 16, 20163 minListen; Happiness PrescriptionAudio Book Mastering Your Mean Girl Book review; Mastering Your Mean Girl by Melissa AmbrosiniI have followed Melissa Ambrosini for ages on her Instagram account and I adore her positivity and infectious soul shares and honest introspection. She is truly a lovely inspiration for how women (and men) can increase their self-worth and transform their lives from being rooted in fear to overflowing and bursting with love. She healed herself holistically and has been influenced by
May 13, 20162 minMeditate; Happiness PrescriptionDive within meditation Let the breath wash you clean Meditation is accessible to all. It's just sitting and being still, turning your attention inwards. Listening to the sounds of the soul. Watching thoughts pass like clouds in the sky. Feeling the heartbeat like waves in the ocean. My advice to finding your Way to bliss (Ananda)? Take time out. Forget the human obsession with ‘stuff’ and doing. Just be. Let go. Let god. My short holiday has shown me the way. It is a way that
May 9, 20164 minKill The TV; Happiness PrescriptionSwitch Off the TV Regain your life Create time Back in 2012 I had minimal goods as a result of a deep desire for Union through Yoga, however I still owned a TV which I used to watch a weekly movie. As I read The Camino by Shirley Maclaine, I delved deep into where my desires were planted and I discovered that TV is constantly selling us ideas aswell as material goods. A Bond movie will sell you a type of car, a type of PC, a watch for your boyfriend….the list goes on and on!
May 6, 20163 minMorning Rituals; Happiness PrescriptionMorning Rituals Start your day the right way One thing that we never compromise on (and I mean never) is our morning ritual. Even when we are away from home on holiday or for work, we always ensure we practice our morning flow. This is part of our happiness prescription. As per Tony Robbins’ advice our ‘hour of power’ or ‘fifteen to fulfilment’ is non-negotiable if you want your day to flow with ease and abundance. It’s super easy to implement and it’s especially important be
May 1, 20163 minHappiness PrescriptionHappiness How to prescribe daily rituals for true inner joy Whilst away in Norfolk in 2012 I felt hugely inspired by a book I was gifted called The Camino by Shirley Maclaine. Dame Shirley journals about her spiritual pilgrimage along the Santiago Di Compostela in Spain which ultimately transpires to be a journey to within. She exposes deep truths along the way and in giving herself permission and the time necessary to truly retreat and rediscover her own core values along t
Feb 8, 20165 minDeservabilityDeserving You are worthy.... But you have to truly believe I wonder if you really feel like you deserve to achieve and gain all you desire? Do you truly believe you deserve the happiness you seek? It may seem an odd question but I know that until I told myself that I was worthy and really started to feel that I deserved the life I aspired to live, I never really fulfilled any of my wishes. A few days ago, I found an old journal of mine written back in 2012 whilst on holiday
Nov 5, 20152 minFall; NovemberFalling is flying Faith means we get back up again Falling into the breath takes us to places we never even knew existed. At the end of yogasana (the physical practice) you should feel lighter and clearer because you just let the heaviness and clutter within literally fall away into the earth and leave you. No longer weighed down by fear, heartache or apprehension, you will feel clarity and space. Being present allows you to continue on your path with mindfulness. Instead of
Oct 17, 20154 minMoments to Pause; AprilApril; Moments To Pause To simply sit and receive; that is the power of Yoga This month’s newsletter is a little late. I’d been pondering over whether to send one earlier but realised quite soon that I was not ready before this moment. I needed time to reflect and I needed time to prepare. As all things go, this was art of a life lesson….and so it led me to our focus this month; moments of pause. This month is extraordinary from others; normally we try to choose one word t
Jul 12, 20151 minAsthanga; Pratyahara 5th PetalWithdrawal of the senses takes awareness away from external distractions such as sounds and sights. Pratyahara allows us to lose the chitta vritti (fluctuating waves of the mind) and asmita teaching us to just ‘be’ without judgement and fear. We are given a moment of self reflection and can honestly assess how we can start the healing process. We learn how to listen to the messages from the body without prejudice or interference. Imagine an ocean; the mind ceaslessly moving b
Jun 30, 20151 minAshtanga; Lower ChakrasEnergetically, those suffering eating disorders or low self-esteem suffer a distinct lack of energy in the lower 3 chakras. Muladhara is the root chakra providing our connection to the Earth (body) and our energetic centre of proprioception; feeling in the physical body. To re-energise this centre we use rooting, standing asanas to establish a firm connection to the earth e.g. Tadasana and Vrkasana. Svadisthana is our centre for expressing our creation and transforming our fe
Jun 26, 20151 minAshtanga; Pranayama 4th PetalLiterally means ‘to stretch that which is everywhere’. These breathing exercises consciously control the prana within. Lengthening the inhalation increases the prana absorbed. Directing prana via certain currents (vayus) through the body clears energetic blockages (samskaras and granthis). Thus kundalini shakti can travel uninhibited through all 72,000 nadis and eventually via sushumna nadi to bring enlightenment (Samadhi). These practices are deeply restorative and balancing
Jun 24, 20151 minAshtanga; Deep HealingOther benefits of asana include the rebuilding of weakened muscle tissue and organs. By gaining flexibility we loosen our muscles allowing more space for nutrients, oxygen and prana to be stored. Stretching our muscles creates a pulling motion on the tissues connected to the bones causing them to grow allowing increased amounts of calcium to be absorbed into the bones. Any weight bearing practices (balances) also increase bone density having the same effect. This helps to rep
Jun 17, 20151 minAshtanga; ShadowsAccording to yoga the key cause of suffering ‘dukkha’ are the kleshas which feed the illusion of disconnectedness. ‘The pain-bearing obstacles are ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and clinging to life’ Yoga sutras 2.2 Patanjali Kleshas cause a vicious cycle of pain: Ignorance (avidya): anorexics ignore the bodily need for nourishment. Egoism (asmita): a body-mind separation feeds the ego. Attachment (raga): an addiction to starvation out of an attachment to fear. Avers
Jun 14, 20154 minYogasana; The BluesSometimes life can be demanding and things happen to us that bring us down. Part of the medicine is to surround yourself with positive people; our teacher Claire had a lovely saying about people either being like rocks, pulling you and weighing you down or they are like balloons, lifting you higher and being light. Seek out the people who bring light into your life and try to let go of the things that weigh you down. Trying this sequence may make a difference to your wellbein
Jun 10, 20152 minAshtanga; Food is NourishmentAll experiences leave an energetic trace named ‘samskara’ like a mental scar determining our future actions (karma). Let these samskara settle and build up and they can become emotional knots ‘granthis’ which block our whole esoteric system and cause numerous psychological conflicts. Most people who suffer body image disorders, low self-esteem or depression have suffered such a traumatic experience that they feel they can’t cope. The emotions are too much to bear and they wan
Jun 9, 20153 minAshtanga; Niyama 2nd PetalSelf-disciplines; how we should act to ourselves. Saucha: purity. We are what we absorb. The protein, minerals and vitamins we eat literally become the building blocks of who we are. Learning how to eat a pure, wholegrain diet can be of great benefit to everyone. Food is medicinal in itself. Ayurveda (Indian medicine) and Yoga itself places a huge emphasis on how important food is. Yogis believe there are three states that all beings (including plant life) encompass: Tamasic:
Jun 7, 20153 minYogasana; Head PainThe following sequences are ones we have created for our personal practice. There are times when we all can feel out of sync with life, blue, glum or sad. Being yogic does not mean that one becomes immune to the darkness; suffering and sadness is necessary to realise the joy of life. But it’s important to realise the silver lining of the clouds. There are issues that we or some of our friends have suffered and these little10 minute morning sessions and 30 minute evening sessi
Jun 6, 20152 minAshtanga; Yama 1st PetalAshtanga; Yama (1st) Universal rules of conduct; how we should behave toward one another (including ourselves) for optimal universal happiness. We are all linked by an inner divinity or atman and we share this planet so our individual actions affect everyone universally. Ahimsa is non-violence. Food is nourishment and provides our energy. To abstain from food is to neglect our bodies of carrying out their purpose in a harmful way. An anorexic body will start to eat its own mu
Jun 1, 20153 minYogasana; Moon Cycle FlowPMS/ Menstruation/Infertility Moon Cycle Flow: Suitable if you are having any issues relating to your moon cycle; menstruation pains, absence of period, issues when trying for a baby, hormonal headaches or other symptoms. This sequence is again designed to let our awareness resonate in the areas of our body where we may feel out of connection or out of sync. This sequence also helps to bring energy and flow to the fertility organs and bring a sense of calm, restoration and no
May 25, 20152 minPerfection; Be Don't DoBe. Don't do. Your life, as it is right now, is brilliantly perfect for you. Back in the day, our ancestors were farmers; they worked in harmony with and depended on the rhythms of nature. They understood the sunrise, sun fall, the levels of rain, the storms, and the fertility of the earth and the creatures of nature. They respected and honoured nature for without an understanding of her patterns, we would reap no crops and have no sustenance. The seasons and rising of each s
'an acoustic acclamation to things tiny' We've always been moved by nature Murmurations of birds Waves of ocean Migration of clouds Sand grains sweeping But what of the soundless...
